These days we here a lot about keeping things simple in software, in terms of user interfaces (I tend to think of Apple as one of the proponents of this basic approach to design).

Joel Spolsky is one of the best writers about software and his two latest long essays have discussed why this approach isn't always a good idea. He argues for elegance but against simplicity. Well worth reading:

In defense of simplicityRecently two notable design advocates, Don Norman and Joel Spolsky, challenged the value of simplicity in design, and I’m here to offer a late defense....It’s easy to confuse success with quality, and both articles discount our secret inability to make satisfying choices. We are attracted to things with more features, that cost less, or come in larger quantities, despite our inner suspicions that we’re likely to complain about those purchases soon after. We date people, eat food, take jobs and buy products for superficial, misguided reasons all the time. We’re easily seduced, and every marketer knows we always have been and always will be.

But we shouldn’t confuse the success of feature-laden crap as a signal for the irrelevance of simplicity any more than the success of Rocky IV and Burger King signaled the irrelevance of good film-making or fine dining. It just means there are gaps between what we need, what we want, and why we buy, and that the masses are by definition less discriminating than the niches of people with refined tastes for a particular thing.

For the record I find Joel to be an excellent writer who produces regularly insightfull and thought provoking essay (he is also frequently very annoyingly self-promoting to the point of being painful to read).

My God... It's been a while since I laughed so hard... And on top of the that, most of the points made by author are really good points, especially the ones concerning the $800 chair. What the hell, $800 for a chair? Does it have a fridge at one side or something?